Expedition - Blackjack/Logging Trip- 02 May 2021

[Marullus]

02 May 2021, 6:00 am

Blackjack Amistad, Earc, and Alcide depart Gaul, taking the north road to the forest, Pingu the draft horse faithfully carrying the supplies.

Amistad agrees with Earc and Alcide to split any trove equally. We face the same dangers equally so no problem. Amistad has an old draft horse which we can load up with supplies and gear. Pingu( the horse) is battle trained and can carry a heavy load without much penalty so we can take more than we need to be safe. I will buy enough food and drink for the three of us for 3 days exploring. I don't expect to be in the wilderness longer than that.

Amistads aims: (please feel free to add other options Earc):

Survey the forest marked on the hex west of the river. (8x8 miles is a lot of territory!)
Feasibility of floating timber downstream...maybe return back along the riverside.
Contact any civilized groups, begin making trade arrangements.
Detail flora and fauna, tree types and suitability for future logging. maybe haul back a sample tree. (yeah, that sacred one which the natives all dance around naked at night!).
Detail geographic survey of forest, hidden hollows, streams, rocks, things that would hinder a logging operation.

food wise I have taken several days preserved and unpreserved food and 5 waterskins plus 4 days animal feed and marked the cost off Ami's sheet.

[Marullus]

The sunrise comes early at 5:28am, the narrow sliver of an almost-new moon having risen into the sky shortly before. Eager for a start, the group is up with the morning light, packs their gear, and departs the north gate at about 6:00am. A fog rolls over the ground, the air chill from a near-freezing night and just now beginning to warm.

Your pace is quick, an adventure before you, and you fall into an easy rhythm with the plodding hoofbeats of the draft horse. The morning passes smoothly, the fog burns off, then sun begins to warm the day. After a few hours, the forest begins to loom close before you. You are about a mile or so away when Alcide, who opted to scout just ahead, snaps off a shot with his longbow. You jog up to him and see a creature, bounding like a deer, fleeing towards the trees, about 130 yards distant. "Good luck having him for dinner. Bad luck, only wounded him..." offers Alcide.

You're are at 3/4, or 90, movement with a +1/2 for being on the road so far. Add any initial roleplay and conversation you wish for starting out, and also your actions for the round when you encounter the deer. It is within range for bowshot (normal for longbow, -1 long range for shortbow) or you can track the blood trail, or let it go.

Day: 02 May 2021
Time: 9:45 am
Light: Sunny day (sunset 8:53 pm)
Temp: 54 F
Wind: 9 to 11 mph ENE
Distance traveled: ~4 miles

[Spearmint]

Blackjack Amistad

"A leg of venison would decorate the finest Dukes' table."Amistad says, pulling the horse by the reins. "We have a poor man's banquet for the next few days, foraging extra meat is always a good boon. Earc would you take the reins". Amistad hands the horse reins to Earc though in truth, the old draft horse left to his own devices would just stand and munch grass or follow down the path if pointed that way.

Eager to press on by but not wanting to leave a wounded animal in distress, particularly if in its pain and distress it attracts other predators, Amistad retrieves a roll of javelins from the saddle trunk and follows Alcide to trail the creature. "Lets' hope we can catch it before it gets under the tree cover."

[Alethan]

Earc Orctongue

Having neither bow nor javelin, Earc takes the reins and follows the two lumberjacks, attempting to be as quiet as he can, after making note of any nearby landmarks so they can easily find the place back to pick up exploration where they left off.

[Marullus]

Blackjack and Alcide hurry after the creature, which bounds through the brush far faster than one would hope. Even at a full sprint, you'd not gain any ground. Blackjack's javelin's will not avail him, but Alcide jumps and gains a spot of high ground, firing his bow at an incredibly long distance.
Alcide [1d20] = 16[1d8] = 5

The shot falls from above, hitting the creature squarely. The creature drops, and the group is able to make it there in a few minutes. Approaching from the rear, they admire the well-formed haunch of a deer. Indeed, it looks perfect for the Archduke's table. As they get closer, though, they see it is far shaggier on the foreparts... and possesses broad paws instead of hooves. As they get to the front, they see the unmistakable floppy ears and buck teeth of a gray lopsy rabbit, of huge size, blended seamlessly with the hindquarters of a light brown deer. "Well... that's a new one for me." says Alcide, scratching his head. "Deerbbit? Rabeer? Dee-bunny?"

Earc notes that you're about 400 yards off the road at this point, having gone east-northeast of it. Presumably the logging sites are further northwest at the road's terminus, or you could continue onward overland northeast towards the river and the area Blackjack pointed to on the map. Either way, the forest is unavoidable, less than a mile north in all directions.

Day: 02 May 2021
Time: 10:00 am
Light: Sunny day (sunset 8:53 pm)
Temp: 54 F
Wind: 9 to 11 mph ENE
Distance traveled: ~4 miles

[Spearmint]

Blackjack Amistad

"Great shooting Alcide, to you the heart and antlers.....oh err buck teeth?"Amistad gazes at the creature. He has not seen a 'Deerbbit' before either. Are they common in these parts? Amistad recalls hearing of other half creatures of legend, centaurs, satyrs, sphinx but this is a new one. Whatever it is though, it is sure gonna taste good! "Earc, have you seen the like of these before, what do your studies reveal?"

Amistad picks up the carcass and puts it across the draft horse to carry, being careful to staunch any flowing blood from the arrow wounds with a thick combination of leaf and loam. It will help stop the blood seeping out and leaving a trail or creatures catching the death scent. We can hang the game high up from a lofty branch to tenderise when we set any camp up.

Amistad suggests we carry on towards the forest and then make a quick recon of the end-of-road logging camp. I want to see if other creatures or people are poking around in the remnants of the camp, scavenging for left behind equipment, making traps, etc. Maybe there is a stag-bunny somewhere about to leap out of his warren. Amistad thinks on various creature combinations and what might taste good in some of his Ma's spicy red wine sauce.

[Alethan]

Earc Orctongue

Earc cautions against blocking the wounds up on the newly-discovered animal.

"I don't know much about the tools of the trade, but I know other aspects of the hunt. My Uncle Keevin was an avid hunter. You have to drain the blood away in short order or it will spoil the meat for sure. If you don't drain it soon enough, then it congeals and won't drain at all! Then the meat is worthless; what's more, the body is worthless for study as the rot will set in shortly..."

He examines the creature in the mean time. Shaking his head in the negative, he adds, "I've never seen or heard of anything like this. It does not appear to be natural. We should keep the skin intact as much as possible, though, for further examination. If the camp is not far away, then we should drain it there. If more than a half hour's walk, we should drain it here before moving on. And then the blood would attract things to this spot and not the camp..."

"As far as names go, it might be noted that 'Buck' is both a term for a male rabbit as well as a male deer. But there are other words for rabbit we might use... capon, coney, lapin. Maybe... 'capeer'? Or 'jackbuck'?"

OOC: The last is a nod to one of the greatest colormen in baseball - Jack Buck - who has always reminded me of my grandfather...

[Marullus]

Alcide nodes to Earc. "Drainin' the meat is important. Dress it and leave the entrails, too. You want to go do it at the camp we could... would only take us 15 or 20 minutes to get there from here." He points northwest. "Too early to camp, though... it ain' even noon yet. We got half a day still ahead of us. A carcass of raw meat on the horse is going to be scented, blood or no. What do you want to do?" He looks between them for a decision.

[Spearmint]

Blackjack Amistad

"well okay, I usually just hunt them down and eat the meat, most of that cooking and cleaning lark being the tribal ladies work. No offence meant, these new cultures take a while to adapt to."

Amistad agrees to skin the jackbuck here, in the cover of the bushes. He will roll the pelt and secure it in the saddle trunk, along with the meat from the rump and haunches. The rest of the carcass can be buried for some jackal to dig up.

As far as the logger camp is concerned, Amistad would like to spy it out from the fringes. Like he expressed before, there might be scavengers' looking for scrap searching around. So I want the surprise on them if any.

We should not camp at this end of road place, but carry on NE just inside the forest boundary until we reach the proposed hex.

"Alcide, what are your experiences of the riverside? Fisherman trawl the lake, do they travel this far north of the ford?"

[Alethan]

Earc

For what it's worth, Earc agrees with Blackjack's plan.

"So we're going to locate the camp, eye it from a distance for a while to see if there is anything amiss, and then continue on to the northeast?"

[Spearmint]

Blackjack Amistad

"Sure for what it is worth. I think that checking on the camp will give us an idea if the loggers faced a concerted effort to drive them off from woodland 'natives' or just got attacked by the random wildlife. The presence of smouldering fires, arrow shafts, traps being laid. The camp has been a site the loggers persistently returned too until the good wood dried up, hence the desire to fell further afield. I would like to stay on the friendly side of any locals but we need to know who inhabits this place and their intentions. Could be intolerant of ignorant loggers but open a trade if we can work it to both our advantages? At least I would like to know what we could be up against if we start a new site down by the riverside. Did you see anything more than that avaricious Weaseljay Alcide?"

[Alethan]

Earc

Earc nods and indicates he is ready to continue on to the logger camp after the animal is field dressed.

[Marullus]

The jackbuck is field dressed between the efforts of Blackjack and Alcide, the offal disposed of, the hide stripped, and the quartered meat trussed to the horse. Once butchered and cooked it will provide ample sustenance.

The group sets off northwest, angling back to where the road meets the forest. "Don't know any fishermen coming up this way, no. The short-folk tend the mill down at the Ford, I reckon they ply the waters there. But they don't venture too far that I know of," Alcide answers as they walk.

They stop at a distance, perhaps 100 yards, and lie in wait, watching the site. The site is readily apparent by the torn up earth, mounds of discarded tree branches pushed into brush-piles, and stone-and-ash firepits. There are no permanent improvements that would otherwise recommend its use. There is no sign of movement in the half-hour you observe. "Can't say I saw anything organized... the Duke's guardsmen mind the perimeter. Plenty of wild creatures, strange combinations like I've ne'er seen before. Some seem half-mad at their shape and come in a frenzy. But nothing that I'd have said was intelligent, not here. Weaseljays, aye, but the nastiest were the Grumpbears. Huge, and crazed, all fur and teeth, they are."

Day: 02 May 2021
Time: 11:00 am
Light: Sunny day (sunset 8:53 pm)
Temp: 54 F
Wind: 9 to 11 mph ENE
Distance traveled: ~5 miles

[Alethan]

Earc Orctongue

Earc takes the opportunity of observing the site to make notes on parchment using quill and ink about where they've traveled so far and the jackbuck, weaseljay, and grumpbear.

As a precautionary measure, he periodically checks the trees above them, trying to be mindful of any animals in the area.

Earc Journal 01.JPG (133.69 KiB) Viewed 1144 times

[Marullus]

Notes like that are fantastic! If you choose to share any of them IC, you can post it on the Maps thread once you return to town.

Waiting for posts from you both on what you're doing/where you're going next before the next update.

[Spearmint]

Blackjack Amistad

"Grumpbears, huge and crazed, all fur and teeth....sounds like you've been at some of the tribal matriarchs! "Amistad laughs.

Okay we mark this camp on the map and proceed further in the forest and further NE. So we are not surprised, I would slow our movement so we can walk on whilst on the lookout. If we see anything unusual, it might need investigation, thinking of carvings in trees or signs, runes, etc. Any burial site, tombstone.

Also on the lookout for trees if they are unnaturally misshapen or diseased.

[Alethan]

Earc Orctongue

Earc nods in agreement, sprinkles some fine sand on his parchment to dry the ink, then blows it off before rolling it up and sliding it into a scroll tube.

Once his notes, ink, and quills are safely stowed away, he shoulders his backpack and indicates he is ready to continue heading northeast. He offers a brief smile to the others, thinking to himself how much fun this is, but not wanting to say anything to that effect in case it jinxes the expedition.

[Spearmint]

Blackjack Amistad

Amistad takes the time to ask Earc more about his studies and skills and Alcide about the archduke. Apart from the goblin base the soldiers cleared out has there been any more trouble and what is known about the land beyond the forest and the mountain in the distance.

[Marullus]

(Sorry this has been delayed. Needed to get some materials together. Hopefully will update tonight.)

[Marullus]

The forest seems almost inviting by the light of day: the air is temperate, a light breeze stirs the leaves of the canopy, sunlight filters through and dapples the ground in ever shifting patterns. Birds twitter among the branches in all directions. At one point, a large bird emits a hissing noise as it is chased across the sky by a flock of crows. "Yep. Weaseljay. Won't get their nests today," Alcide chuckles dryly.

You break for meals, refresh at a cool woodland stream, and continue on. Your progress is slow as you search thoroughly. The first mile around the campsite is thoroughly logged - the trees there are either warped, damaged, or young saplings now reaching to the light to replace their fallen elders. After that first mile, the forest begins to quickly recover. Tall, healthy trees again are relatively easy to find. The forest is verdant and healthy; it is perhaps the absence of rot or diseased wood which is more surprising. There are no signs or marks on the trees. No footprints or trails of men. You feel as if you are the first to venture this way in an age, the air of the wood rich in your lungs. You are invigorated. You continue on.

Afternoon is fading to evening when it happens. Alcide, scouting about 20 yards just ahead of you, steps in a snare and is hoisted upward by one ankle, dangling upside down about three feet above your heads. The rope is made of honeysuckle creepers and laces up his leg to his thigh, constricted tight, dangling from a massive oak. You see no foe, nothing unnatural, in any direction.


Day: 02 May 2021
Time: 6:00 pm
Light: Sunny day (sunset 8:53 pm)
Temp: 60 F
Wind: 9 to 11 mph ENE
Distance traveled: ~11 miles